Tag Archives: Mexican politics

Facebook.com/elcandigatomorris “Tired of rats, vote for a cat,” says this campaign poster for Morris, a cat that is “running” for mayor of Jalapa, Mexico. In Mexico “rats” is a euphemism used for corrupt politicians.

Sick of politicians in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, two residents entered their cat Morris as a candidate for mayor in the upcoming election. Morris, a black and white cat, pledges to “rid the city of rats” aka corrupt politicians. Jair Cuevas, one of the sponsors for the Morris campaign, gave the following statement. “Candidates here almost never fulfill their promises. Our candidate promises to sleep, eat, yawn, and play in the dirt. That is what he will do if he wins the election.”

Time Magazine

Morris’ Facebook page has gone viral, gathering almost 100k likes in just one month. He is more popular than the traditional human candidates in the social network arena. He also has a Twitter account. Surveys show the people of Xalapa rate Morris as more “likeable” than three of the four other main candidates. His popularity should surpass the fourth candidate soon, according to Latino FoxNews. Campaign managers for Morris believe social media can give the citizens of Xalapa a creative way to fight corruption in their time. The campaign slogan “Xalapa without rats” is wildly popular in the city.

Yes We Cat

Local Xalapa journalist Melina Zurita reports to ABC News that Morris represents indignation with Mexican politicians who win elections by buying votes and negotiating corrupt deals. Morris is appealing as a candidate for thousands who do not identify with traditional politicians, according to Zurita. Such feelings are widespread in Mexico.

No more rats

Xalapa election authorities refuse to allow Morris on the ballot, so campaign managers are requesting people vote for him through the write-in process. Election officials threatened to invalidate ballots with pictures of cats or with Morris’ name on the write-in line. His campaign managers stated on the Facebook account that Morris becomes more important with every attack by the political elite.